Silver Lining
by Misadventure Time
Summary: It's the Battle of Hogwarts, and disaster is imminent. With the explosion that kills Fred comes two girls, out of place and undoubtedly lost. Nobody knows what trouble these two will cause, or how they'll change what they know as canon. GeorgexOC - DracoxOC - canon otherwise
1. Appearance

_'No – no – no!' someone was shouting. 'No! Fred! No!'_

And this is what a wild-looking brunette woke to, in her sooty pyjamas and single slipper. Bright blue eyes peered out from among the wreckage, silently surveying the area before panic could set in. It came soon enough when something beneath her moved, and she let out a startled shriek, drawing the attention of a furious redhead with a tear-streaked face who scrambled for something, moving away from the body of another redhead, and yet another appeared, trying to pull him back. Panicking, the brunette backed up, falling off of whatever was under her, leaving it free to rise. It was a man in a black cloak, with an all-too-familiar mask on. The brunette gasped for breath, fear encompassing her as her rational mind flew out the window.

'No!' she shrieked, beginning to sob. 'No!'

Nearby another shriek sounded in a slightly higher pitch.

'Spider!'

It came from near a wall with a gaping hole in it, and brick red hair stood out among the darkness. Sure enough, reaching through the wall as it searched for purchase to pull itself through, was a gigantic spider. A brunette boy with crooked glasses, with his friend, who had been trying to hold back what might've been his brother, shouted a spell and shot the spider back. A girl with light brown hair hurried to move the girl in checkered pyjamas, no slippers to be found, wondering where the grey-eyed girl had come from but knowing not to question anything when they just needed to act.

The one who'd scrambled for his wand had also shouted a spell, knocking the cloaked figure down and on top of the other odd girl with her blue eyes and now, no slippers. He shoved the stunned man off of her, and yanked her to her feet, ignoring how she cried out in pain as he pushed her towards his younger brother. His eyes caught something through the smoke, and he let out a bull-like roar.

'ROOKWOOD!' With this he sprinted off towards a towering man chasing a couple of much shorter people, leaving the trio of all-too-familiar faces to deal with the girls that were clearly out of place.

The brunette had stumbled over to the body, whose eyes were open and a ghost of a smile was on his face. A choked sob broke free, 'Fred,' she said, but she didn't have much time to grasp the situation before her. All too soon the boy with glasses, _Harry_, a whisper reminded her, had begun to move the body. Then the remaining redhead, _Ron_, again the whisper provided, hurried to help. The fellow brunette, Hermione, she knew now, dashed forward with the grey-eyed girl's wrist in one hand and soon the blue-eyed girl's wrist in the other. They made their way to a niche, a broken suit of armor nearby, and tucked Fred's body away.

'Marianne, leave him!' the girl with brick red hair cried as the brunette, Marianne, twisted out of Hermione's grasp and made her way forward to Fred. 'He's – He's gone!' she told her shocked friend.

Marianne turned, looking to her friend with pleading eyes. 'Kenna-' she began, but the other girl, Kenna, shook her head.

'No!' she argued, and the trio watched in confusion before leaping back into action, Harry grabbing Marianne's wrist and yanking her after Hermione and Ron when they dashed behind a tapestry.

Ron, seeing a chance to go, tried to run out. But Kenna was faster. She tackled him, his head cracking against the wall, Hermione gasping and Harry wincing while Marianne fumbled with something she'd picked up. Hermione's words struggled to reach Ron, to talk him down from his rage and grief, then the witch turned to Harry and told him to find Voldemort, which Harry quickly agreed to do. Kenna let Ron down from the wall, and left him to Hermione, hurrying over to Marianne, who'd begun to leave the little bit of safety provided by the tapestry.

Yanking her back, Kenna growled angrily. 'What do you think you're doing?'

Marianne looked up, then back down to the object in her hands. 'Fighting.'

Her one word response surprised Kenna until she saw what was in her best friend's hands. Her grey eyes widened, then shot back up to meet blue ones. 'Where-'

'I'm going to try it,' Marianne cut Kenna off, shaking with adrenaline or fear, she couldn't tell.

Kenna looked over her shoulder, then back to Marianne. The trio was occupied, and it did seem to be a good time to run. It wasn't like hiding would keep them alive…right? Usually it was Kenna to rush into something, Marianne to talk her back, but the roles were reversed now, and Kenna didn't know what to say. So she looked at her best friend, face hardening, and gave a short nod.

The girls took off, biting back yelps of pain and trying not to care where they were stepping because that meant they'd be preoccupied and unable to defend themselves. It was not hard to find a cloaked figure, attacking some students that were firing off what meager spells they knew in an attempt to protect themselves.

'_Confringo_!' she shouted, the first words to come to mind. The spell shot from the wand, and when it made contact with the cloaked figure, an explosion occurred.

The students shrieked, trying to run away, and Kenna shot forward, Marianne on her heels, to stop the students from running into more trouble. When they were halted, they shrieked again, but listened in fear as Kenna told them the spell, and that it would hopefully be enough to keep them safe. With that she let them go, meeting back up with Marianne, who had cast another spell, stilling the cloaked figure. Kenna wasn't sure she wanted to know what spell her best friend had used, so she swallowed the question and directed Marianne in another direction where she'd seen more running figures.

This process continued until a cold voice echoed through the ears of all those in Hogwarts and the surrounding area.

_'You have fought,' said the high, cold voice, 'valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery._

_'Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, on by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste._

_'Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately._

_'You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._

_'I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour.'_

Stunned by the voice, Marianne and Kenna stood among the rubble, until Marianne's knees gave out. Things had gone unnaturally silent, but the air remained thick. The girls kneeled on the ground together for a while, the events of the night coming crashing down on their heads and leaving them unable to speak, although tears streaked through the grime on their faces, sniffling and hiccupping, ever so soft, the only noises coming from them. The spell was broken by hoarse sobbing, and Marianne's head shot up before she quickly scrambled to her feet, Kenna struggling to follow as the brunette hurried amongst the wreck that'd been made of this part of the castle they were in.

The redhead from earlier, the one who'd taken off after a man named Rookwood, came into sight, kneeling by a body. It was Fred, the girls realized, recognizing the area. The amount of noise they made startled the redhead, _Percy_, the voice came back, and he turned to them with anger and grief in his eyes. He pointed his wand at them, and began shouting.

'What did you do to him? Shouldn't you be back with your Dark Lord? I'll ki-'

'Shut up!' Kenna shrieked, hands balling into fists. 'We don't even want to be here! Do you think we chose to appear, to land on the- the-' words were failing her, and Marianne jumped in.

'Let's get him to the Great Hall, Percy,' she suggested, each word more void of emotion than the one before it. 'Your family needs to see him.'

Percy snapped his mouth shut angrily, then began to stubbornly try to move Fred's body on his own. With a roll of her eyes Kenna moved forward and lifted Fred's leg's with an 'oomph', Percy with his arms under Fred's.

'Lumos,' Marianne whispered, lighting the wand and giving them a bit more light to go by. It was an hour or so before dawn, yet things were practically pitch black. They stumbled along, Marianne beside Kenna and Percy directing them to the Great Hall. They passed through the Entrance Hall, which was deserted and stained with blood. 'Nox.' With the wand extinguished, they entered the room.

The house tables no longer took their places in the Great Hall, instead the room was crowded with people, the survivors in groups and the injured being treated by Madam Pomfrey and a small group of witches and wizards assisting her. Marianne led the way to the row in the middle of the hall, the ceiling dark but everything easily seen. A woman, _Molly Weasley_, ran forward when she spotted Percy, followed closely by a man, _Arthur Weasley_. She spoke with relief at first, asking Percy who the two girls in their pyjamas were and why they were barefoot, until she looked down and saw the body of Fred, unmoving and death clear as day in his eyes.

A flurry of motion led to them laying Fred down in the row before Mrs. Weasley collapsed on the ground, sobbing into the chest of her dead son. They were soon joined by the rest of the Weasley clan as they trickled in, George ending up by his twin's head, crying as much as his mother. Mr. Weasley kneeled by his wife, rubbing her back soothingly as he quietly cried. It was Ginny who broke things when she noticed the two girls standing so near, clearly out of place and the brunette clutching a familiar wand.

Stomping over, Ginny reached for Fred's wand in Marianne's grasp. But Marianne held it close in a defensive manner.

'Give it back!' she demanded, drawing the attention of her family. 'That's not yours!'

'Well I'm using it!' Marianne snapped, eyes narrowing. Kenna, worried for her friend, took up a more menacing stance next to Marianne.

Percy was the next to come forward, anger clear. 'You have no right-' he began, only to be cut off by Kenna.

'Well it's not like he can use it!' she bit out, hiccupping. 'And we don't have wands of our own, so deal with it!' In truth, she wasn't too pleased to find out Marianne was using Fred's wand. But her friend was resourceful, and she knew that when worst came to worst, that they'd have to do what they'd have to do.

'Well you're not using it!' Percy argued, Ginny lunging forward for the wand again.

Marianne sidestepped, then dashed over to hide behind George, who seemed rather out of it. She clutched the wand, holding onto it as if it was all she had left. In fact, that was how she felt. That besides Kenna, all she had left was the wand – Fred's wand – and it was the only thing she had to protect herself with.

'Marianne…' Kenna sighed, shuffling over while the Weasleys, sans George, looked on unhappily. 'Just give it back.'

'No!' Marianne shot back, shaking her head. 'I'm not going to die here!'

Confusion flashed across faces, but not across Kenna's. She squatted down by Marianne and George, but instead of addressing Marianne, Kenna addressed George.

'Ask for the wand back,' she told him, and he looked at her in confusion. It was like he'd ceased functioning upon discovering the lifeless body of his twin, and Kenna took a deep breath, trying to remain patient. 'She won't listen to anyone else, she has Fred's wand.'

George visibly flinched at his twin's name being spoken, then looked over at Marianne, who Kenna had pointed at. He opened his mouth to speak, then shut it. Words failed him in his grief, and he was suddenly struggling to keep his balance when Marianne lunged forward and hugged him. He looked over at Kenna for help, who tried to pluck the wand from Marianne's hand. But she wouldn't let it go still, and Kenna sighed and shrugged, turning to the Weasleys.

'You'll just have to wait,' she decided, crossing her arms. 'Now then, I'm off to find someone.' Kenna began to walk away, then paused and looked over her shoulder. 'Don't let Marianne do anything stupid!' she added after the thought struck her, then she jogged off to find her favorite character in the whole wide universe created by…by…well, whatever her name had been.

People mourned, and the mourning continued when the trio, consisting of Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered. Hermione embraced Ginny, Percy and Ron cried over Fred, and Harry disappeared. Marianne waited anxiously for Kenna's return, a tight hold on George's arm and on Fred's wand. At last the girl with the brick red hair returned, a boy with blonde hair being towed behind her. He looked nervous, so nervous, and it took Ron's hiss to identify him, beating the whisper the Marianne had come to know in her head.

'Malfoy!' Ron hissed, having to be held back by Percy, while Ginny and Hermione shook as they tried to restrain themselves.

Marianne released George at last, stumbling to her feet and rushing over to Kenna and Draco. 'Is there a reason you went to find him?' she asked, although there was no malice in her voice.

'Of course!' Kenna chirped. After a confused and curious stare from Marianne, she elaborated. 'I'm going to change that awkward scene! Remember it? Do ya? Do ya?'

A look of confusion planted itself on Marianne's face for a good minute, then it was wiped away by realization and humour. Coughing as she tried not to laugh, she nodded. 'Oh, yeah.'

Kenna beamed, and Draco looked on in confusion.

'Can I go now?' Draco asked, trying to tug his arm out of Kenna's grasp.

'Nope!' Kenna and Marianne decided in unison, leaving Draco looking slightly crestfallen.

'Bloody hell, no one wants him here!' Ron complained, although his mouth quickly snapped shut when Kenna turned and glared at him.

It was going to be a long visit.


	2. Conclusion

Neither Marianne nor Kenna were sure how much time had passed, focusing their efforts on snubbing Ron and cooing over Draco. Well, Marianne was cooing and Kenna was snubbing. Draco had given up on fighting the fifth time Marianne bit his hand, and was now subject to her torment, which involved her fixing every little bit of Draco's appearance. He scowled, and the two youngest Weasleys had trouble not laughing in the rather inappropriate moment. It was when Marianne was near satisfied with her job well done when a voice resounded through the Great Hall, swelling through the ears of the survivors and leaving many pale.

_'Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone._

_'The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as well as every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together.'_

Slowly, the survivors poured out of the castle, Marianne and Kenna pulling Draco along.

_'NO!'_

The scream came from Professor McGonagall, and shouts of the same word followed while Death Eaters, namely Bellatrix, laughed, relishing in the despair of the cries. Ron, Hermione, and Ginny cried out Harry's name, and they acted as a trigger, the other survivors crying out as well, although Marianne and Kenna remained silent alongside Draco.

_'SILENCE!' cried Voldemort, and there was a bang and a flash of bright light, and silence was forced upon them all. 'It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!'_

Obediently, although he had little choice in the matter, Hagrid set Harry down.

_'You see?' Voldemort said,_ striding backward and forwards right beside the place where Harry lay. _'Harry Potter is dead! Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!'_

_'He beat you!' yelled Ron, and the charm broke, and the defenders of Hogwarts were shouting and screaming again until a second, more powerful bang extinguished their voices once more._

_'He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds,' said Voldemort, and there was relish in his voice for the lie, 'killed while trying to save himself-'__  
_  
Someone broke free from the crowd, charging forward, only to be thrown back by a bang and a flash of light. The person fell to the ground, disarmed. Voldemort tossed the challenger's wand aside and laughed.

_'And who is this?' he said, in his soft snake's hiss. 'Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?'_

_Bellatrix gave a delighted laugh._

_'It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?'_

_'Ah yes, I remember,' said Voldemort, looking down at Neville, who was struggling back to his feet, unarmed and unprotected, standing in the no-man's-land between the survivors and the Death Eaters. 'But you are a pure-blood, aren't you, my brave boy?' Voldemort asked Neville, who stood facing him, his empty hands curled into fists._

_'So what if I am?' said Neville loudly._

_'You show spirit, and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom.'_

_'I'll join you when hell freezes over,' said Neville. 'Dumbledore's Army!' he shouted, and there was an answering cheer from the crowd, whom Voldemort's silencing charms seemed unable to hold._

_'Very well,' said Voldemort, _and one could hear that his silky voice was laced with an enormous amount of danger. The crowd tensed, practically holding their breath. In fact, Kenna and Marianne probably were. _'If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head,' he said quietly, 'be it.'_

They watched as Voldemort waved his wand, and waited. _Seconds later, out of one of the castle's shattered windows, something that looked like a misshapen bird flew through the half-light and landed in Voldemort's hand. He shook the mildewed object by its pointed end and it dangled, empty and ragged: the Sorting Hat._

_'There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School,' said Voldemort. 'There will be no more houses. The emblem, shield and colours of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone, won't they, Neville Longbottom?'_

_He pointed his wand at Neville, who grew rigid and still, then forced the Hat onto Neville's head, so that it slipped down below his eyes. There were movements from the watching crowd in front of the castle, and as one, the Death Eaters raised their wands, holding the fighters of Hogwarts at bay._

_'Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me,' said Voldemort, and with a flick of his wand, he caused the Sorting Hat to burst into flames._

_Screams split the dawn, and Neville was aflame, rooted to the spot, unable to move, _and Marianne couldn't stand to just stay where she was at, so she shouted a spell to douse the flames.

_And then many things happened in the same moment._

_They heard uproar from the distant boundary of the school as what sounded like hundreds of people came swarming over the out-of-sight walls and pelted towards the castle, uttering loud war cries. At the same time, Grawp came lumbering round the side of the castle and yelled, 'HAGGER!' His cry was answered by roars from Voldemort's giants: they ran at Grawp like bull elephants, making the earth quake. Then came hooves, and the twangs of bows, and arrows were suddenly falling amongst the Death Eaters, who broke ranks, shouting their surprise._

_In one swift, fluid motion Neville broke free of the Body-Bind Curse upon him; the _charred _Hat fell off him and he drew from its depths something silver, with a glittering ruby handle –_

_The slash of the silver blade could not be heard over the roar of the oncoming crowd, or the sounds of clashing giants, or of the stampeding centaurs, and yet it seemed to draw every eye. With a single stroke, Neville sliced off the great snake's head, which spun high into the air, gleaming in the light flooding from the Entrance Hall, and Voldemort's mouth was open in a scream of fury that no one could hear, and the snake's body thudded to the ground at his feet –_

Kenna whooped. 'Way to go, Neville!' she called out hoarsely, although, like Voldemort's scream, it could not be heard. Meanwhile, Marianne had a slightly twisted smile on her face, one that promised she'd get to deal some blows now. _Then, over the screams, and the roars, and the thunderous stamps of battling giants, Hagrid's yell came loudest of all._

_'HARRY!' Hagrid shouted, 'HARRY – WHERE'S HARRY?'_

_Chaos reigned. The charging centaurs were scattering the Death Eaters, everyone was fleeing the giants' stamping feet, and nearer and nearer thundered the reinforcements that had come from who knew where; _the girls _saw great winged creatures soaring around the heads of Voldemort's giants, Thestrals and Buckbeak the Hippogriff scratching at their eyes while Grawp punched and pummelled them; and now the wizards, defenders of Hogwarts and Voldemort's Death Eaters alike, were being forced back into the castle._

Marianne and Kenna, once back inside the castle, saw house elves pour out from the kitchens when the door was blasted off. Centaurs burst into the Hall as well, looking fierce as ever. As breathtaking as it was, they had to see the final fights. The two girls forced their way into the Great Hall, Marianne casting a number of Stunning Spells after the look on her friend's face when she'd cast the Killing Curse on a Death Eater that was attacking someone who was half the Death Eater's size.

Then Molly Weasley's voice reached their ears, and they saw Hermione, Ginny, and Luna dueling Bellatrix.

_'NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!'_

_Mrs. Weasley threw off her cloak as she ran, freeing her arms. Bellatrix spun on the spot, roaring with laughter at the sight of her new challenger._

_'OUT OF MY WAY!' shouted Mrs. Weasley to the three girls, and with a swipe of her wand she began to duel._

They watched Molly's wand slash and twirl, causing Bellatrix's smile to falter and become a snarl. Jets of light were flying from both wands, and the floor at their feet grew hot and cracked. It was clear what they were aiming to do to end this duel.

_'No!' Mrs. Weasley cried, as a few students ran forwards, trying to come to her aid. 'Get back!_ Get back! _She is mine!'_

Soon, hundreds of people lined the walls, watching Voldermort duel his three opponents and Bellatrix Lestrange duel Molly Weasley.

_'What will happen to your children when I've killed you?' taunted Bellatrix, mad as her master, capering as Molly's curses danced around her. 'When Mummy's gone the same way as Freddie?'_

_'You – will – never – touch – our – children – again!' screamed Mrs. Weasley._

Marianne and Kenna watched as Bellatrix laughed, an exhilarated laugh that showed how insane she truly was, and they awaited seeing the crazed woman's defeat in person.

_Molly's curse soared beneath Bellatrix's outstretched arm and hit her squarely in the chest, directly over her heart._

_Bellatrix's gloating smile froze, her eyes seemed to bulge: for the tiniest space of time she knew what had happened, and then she toppled, and the watching crowd roared, and Voldemort screamed._

It was then, that on the sidelines, Marianne and Kenna fainted.


	3. Hysteria

The war was clearly over by the time one of the girls woke, cheerful voices laced with pain and loss echoing in Marianne's ears as she came to. Like was the usual for her, when she began to wake, her brain refused to start up, sending her back to the realm of sleep. However, the unfamiliar voices gave her a start, and she shot up, vision leaving her and head feeling like it was full of helium. Moaning, the brunette fell back onto the bed. A startled sound reached her ears, and someone bustled over.

'Are you alright, dear?' the older woman asked, laying a cool hand on Marianne's forehead.

'Peachy,' Marianne mumbled, moving away and rubbing her eyes before easing herself up again.

The older woman muttered something about getting an Order member before fluttering away, and it took a moment for things to register in Marianne's brain. Gasping, her eyes flew open, and this time, although her vision was swimming, she could see. Terror grasped her, although she managed to breathe again after spotting Kenna on the bed next to hers.

'Holy-' she began, only to snap her mouth shut when she realized how loud she was being when several survivors of the battle looked over at her unhappily.

Flushing in embarrassment, Marianne focused on scooting backwards until she had her back against the frame of the bed. Looking down, she was relieved to see she was still in her pyjamas, and after a moment of assessment, she was glad to see Kenna was, too. It would've been creepy to be in different clothes; but that wasn't all. This was what Marianne knew she had left of the reality she and Kenna had come from, whether they liked it or not. At least, until they got home, that is.

'Pardon me,' a deep voice said, and Marianne's head snapped up to see a dark-skinned man.

'Kingsley Shacklebolt,' she blurted, pointing at him. It was as though she had no control over her body at the moment, and her face turned a deeper shade of pink.

The man looked shocked before nodding slowly, eyes flickering over to Kenna's sleeping form before returning to Marianne. 'How do you know?'

Marianne gulped, and forced herself to keep eye contact with Kingsley. 'I'm a psychic,' she lied shakily. It was clear Kingsley didn't buy it, and he pulled his wand out of his robes, pointing it at Kenna. Gasping, Marianne shouted at him but a moment later, 'Don't you dare!' This, too, drew attention to the trio, but it was quickly dismissed when they saw where the noise had come from.

'I suggest you tell me who sent you,' Kingsley told Marianne calmly, staring her in the eye. What he didn't count on was Marianne's shout waking Kenna, who had seemed to be a sound sleeper. Quick as lightning she was up and lunging at Kingsley, managing to knock him to the ground while he let out a startled cry.

Running on adrenaline, Marianne forced herself to move and managed to grab his wand, retreating against the wall with Kenna once it was secure in her hands. She pointed it at him, quivering.

'If you don't mind, Marianne needs her beauty sleep and so do I. _Go away and leave us alone_,' Kenna bit out in a mockingly polite tone. She glanced over at Marianne, who looked like a cornered animal, and could see the same look on her face reflected in her friend's eyes. Looking back at the few Order members that had gathered, along with a few from Dumbledore's Army, she spoke again. 'If you freak her out, she'll either kill or torture you,' she warned.

Clearly, Kenna was not believed.

A man that the girls registered was Mr. Weasley stepped forward. 'Now girls, you have to understand-'

'That we fell out of the fucking sky,' Kenna finished for him. 'We know.'

Mr. Weasley was, for lack of better words, shocked. His wife bustled forward and reprimanded the girls.

'That's no way to behave! Now give back the wand and-' She, too, was cut off, but this time by Marianne.

'Oh yeah, because we're going to sit in here, unarmed, with a bunch of armed witches and wizards,' she snapped. 'Not happening, give me the wand I had before.'

Kenna rolled her eyes. 'Marianne, that's _Fred's _wand!' she pointed out, ignoring the pained expressions that followed.

'Kenna, you know what they're going to do to us, right?' Marianne asked, her eyes never leaving the witches and wizards in front of them.

'No,' Kenna responded in confusion. She didn't understand what her friend was talking about – only that they were in danger.

'They think we're Death Eaters,' Marianne provided, hoping this would trigger Kenna's knowledge of the universe they were in.

'Oh!' Kenna exclaimed, before shouting, 'OH!'

'Yeah,' Marianne responded, stepping a little closer to Kenna. Her eyes scanned the small gathering of people, which seemed to be growing, and she flung the first spell she thought would be handy. '_Expelliarmus_!' she shouted, only to be met with the same spell from none other than Harry Potter, who had joined the group.

'We can help you,' Harry offered, trying to talk the girls down from their adrenaline-induced high. 'Give us a chance.'

Marianne pursed her lips, and Kenna scowled. Clearly, neither girl was willing to relinquish their hold on the one thing they felt could protect them. It didn't help their case that the brunette looked slightly crazed, and that the other was doing little to restrain her friend. Instead the spell that had shot from the wand continued strongly, and the spark in Marianne's eyes was a bad sign indeed.

'_Stupefy_,' she muttered, the light coming from Kingsley's wand changing, the intensity of the spell growing.

With a frown, Harry glanced over at Hermione for help. However, it was Ron who stepped forward.

'_Stupefy_!' he said, shooting the spell off, surprised at the girls' quick reflexes when the redhead helped her brunette counterpart dodge it.

Eyes blazing, Marianne left an unspoken threat hanging in the air, and Kenna ducked down with a pillow for a shield. As though she'd been dueling for quite some time, causing a spike of fear in the room, the blue-eyed girl cut off the spell and dodged what was left from Harry's _Expelliarmus_, then threw a nonverbal spell. It was a jet of green light, and it went straight to Ron, Harry's own quick thinking sending up a shield with a quickly uttered _Protego_.

'We have done nothing wrong, have been given no change to explain ourselves, and yet you're so insistent on threatening and attacking us!' Marianne snapped. The power surging through her was a new thing, and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like the feeling. Behind her, Kenna had stood again, and was nodding.

'Well you're not exactly making this easy on yourselves,' Neville pointed out, wand ready.

'Well, we're not exactly running on assumptions.' Marianne mimicked his voice childishly, and Kenna seemed to have a short coughing fit with a painful smile.

Frowning, Kingsley, who had recovered to an extent, made a move to speak up. A flash in the girls' peripheral caused Marianne to snap, and she shot off another jet of green light without a word. This time, it hit its target; the target, this time, being Ginny Weasley. She screamed in pain, and Marianne seemed unaffected. Kenna, however, looked at everyone, even her best friend, disapprovingly.

'Cut it out, Marianne. She just wanted to be a hero,' Kenna said in a slightly soothing voice, laying a hand on her friend's shoulder. 'I'm supposed to be the violent and impulsive one, anyways!'

At this Marianne had to smile, if only a little, and the spell stopped, leaving Ginny gasping for breath on the ground. Mrs. Weasley rushed forward, horrified, and the look on the faces of those around them told the girls that their fate had been sealed. Marianne wasn't done, clearly, but the hand on her shoulder kept her grounded. It felt strange, alien, for her to lose herself like this. Then again, it was kind of like having an anxiety attack, she supposed. When red light shot at her and Kenna she flicked her wrist and whispered _Protego_. As Mrs. Weasley helped Ginny to a nearby cot, Marianne narrowed her eyes and voiced a demand.

'Give me Fred's wand, and I'll give Kingsley his. Then, let us go.'

Kenna could see from the look on Marianne's face that her friend was not all-there. Honestly, it was really creeping her out. But without knowing if she could fend off the angry witches and wizards herself, she didn't dare knock Marianne out yet. Instead, she tried to think like her friend would've.

'Not only did I warn you this would happen,' Kenna began in a mock-diplomatic voice, causing Marianne to smirk, 'but my psychotic friend has a point here.'

Harry was seething, but, being a hero, tried to keep his cool. 'Which would be?'

'You never asked us who we were, how we were feeling, why we were here.' Kenna shrugged. 'You just jumped to conclusions, and you made my best friend snap.'

With this said she reached forward and snatched Kingsley's wand from Marianne, who looked like she was fighting an internal battle, and dropped it at her feet as she swung her free hand to hit a pressure point on the back of her friend's neck. The brunette nearly crumpled to the ground, but was caught but the redhead. In the same movement of dipping down with her friend's weight, she snatched up the wand again, holding it tightly in her grasp.

Eyes steely, Kenna silently dared anyone to make a move. Sadly, Ron did, and Kenna hit him with a powerful _Stupefy _without a single thought. Aside from her beaming at being able to perform magic, she looked pissed off; with Marianne unconscious, there was no one to keep her from having her way. But a familiar voice made her drop both the wand and her best friend, ignoring both immediately.

'I thought you were supposed to be the good guys?' Draco asked with a slight scowl.

Kenna squealed in delight, looking every bit the part of a fangirl as she ran at and tackled Draco – a very painful hug – while it took the small crowd a moment to recover. When they did, Kingsley moved forward and took his wand back while Professor McGonagall levitated Marianne back into her cot, this time tying her down with ropes. A shriek pierced the older woman's ears, and she saw the redhead looking quite furious and clinging to Draco, who was lying on the ground disgruntled.

'You tricked me!' she complained, although she didn't release the blonde from her hold.

'Actually, Mr. Malfoy's appearance was completely unplanned,' Professor McGonagall argued. 'Thank you for your help,' she added with a nod to Draco, who grunted in response.

'I'll be nice if I can keep him,' Kenna offered as she tightened her hold.

'My son is not a pet,' Mrs. Malfoy sniffed disdainfully, entering the room. Her husband was aiding with some temporary reconstruction, while she had gone in search of their son.

'Of course not,' Professor McGonagall agreed, pinning Kenna with her stare. 'Which is why our guest will get off of him and behave appropriately of her own accord.'

With a frown, Kenna rolled off of Draco and onto the floor, wincing when her head hit the stone. She laid there, arms and legs spread out, staring at the ceiling, with a vacant expression on her face. As she was not causing trouble, she was ignored for the moment.

'I think she's scared,' the redhead spoke up with a frown, drawing the attention of Mrs. Weasley as she passed. 'Just because we've always dreamed of being here doesn't mean we expected it to happen.' She said this without her gaze leaving the ceiling, a sigh following.

Trying to be quiet and not disturb the girl that was usually violent, as she had proclaimed herself, Mrs. Weasley mentioned for Professor McGonagall to come over to her side. Watching Kenna curiously, they listened as she said something else, eyes drooping shut.

'Really wish we could've saved Fred, though.'


End file.
